


Uselessness

by MeredithBrody



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 08:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4298301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/pseuds/MeredithBrody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is for Allamaraine and the Trek Friendship Fic Exchange. Hoshi struggles with feeling useless now the ship is fighting a war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Uselessness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [allamaraine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allamaraine/gifts).



Hoshi Sato was grumpy. She hated struggling with languages, and more than that, she hated knowing that even though she was struggling, it didn't actually matter. Nobody would make another contact with this species until the end of the war. She still wanted to try and figure it out though. It would give them a head start when it all ended and they could explore again. "This language is ridiculous." She sighed, not even sure who was at her table until she looked up from her PADD.

"Problems, Hoshi?" Came the jovial voice of the ship's doctor. Who was both the best and worst person for her to see when she was struggling with something new. he was normally the best person to pick her up from the floor but right now that wasn't what she needed. What she needed right now was to be given a strong kick up the butt to actually work on this.

"I haven't seen a language this complex since I was dealing with the Kretassans." She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. She really hated the problems she was having with this. Hoshi was not normally the type to struggle this much with a language, but she was either too tired or too annoyed for it to make any sense.

"It's that hard?" Phlox asked, pulling out the chair opposite hers and smiled at her in his usual supportive way. She shook her head and groaned, rubbing her face as he settled down and started picking at his food.

"It's not really hard, it's just really contradictory." She sighed and shook her head. She knew plenty about this, but it just wasn't as simple as it should be. At least not right now. "It should be a simple bi-modal syntax. But it isn't." She hated that she was struggling this much. It had been a very long time since she'd last struggled with a language this much. 

"I can see why you are struggling." It was really very nice that he was sat there with her, and she couldn't help but laugh a little. It probably wasn't that surprising that at least one person in her life could see how frustrating it was for her.

"Thanks." She smiled genuinely. At least someone was being sympathetic, unlike the group she'd eaten breakfast with, who had largely teased her about it. So she looked at her friend sat with her and smirked. "I should take a break, maybe practice my Denobulan a little."

Phlox smiled a little and looked at her. She accepted the cake he held out to her and smiled, he always knew the best way to pick her up when she was down. "I wish I was better at languages, then I could help you master this one."

"If you were good at languages, Phlox, I'd be out of a job." They all knew that Phlox was generally the best at what he did. That tended to include things other people were good at. So she was a little glad he wasn't amazing at languages. He was good, but he wasn't the best. "And I like my job."

"That is definitely not true. I would never be as skilled as you are." He laughed a little and smiled at her. She accepted that compliment, knowing that he genuinely meant it. That was something that helped her feel a little better about herself.

"Not that a linguist is much help during the war. I wish I could do more to help." There were ways that she could help, she was sure, but right now she couldn't think of exactly what it would be. She didn't have very many things she was skilled at, as she'd focused her entire life on linguistics. "Maybe in sickbay, or engineering."

"I would gladly mentor you to become a medic, if you would like to help more." That was a suggestion she hadn't considered, but it would possibly work well for her, and for the rest of the crew, which was clearly what Phlox was thinking too. "It would help to have a medic there on the Bridge."

"Do you think the Captain would go for it?" Hoshi asked, wondering whether or not she was only just guessing at him thinking that was a good thing. There was no guarantee, but she was pretty sure that he would.

"After what happened at Andoria, I'm sure he would welcome it." Phlox's smile faltered a little, because they had lost a great many of their friends and colleagues had died in the aftermath of that battle. She knew how he felt.

"Yeah, not waiting for medical attention would have helped all of us there." She remembered all of the injuries, and all of the deaths on the bridge after that. Most had been alive straight after the battle, but many hadn't survived until medical personnel had made it to stabilise them. "When can we start?"

"I am free tomorrow, if you'd like to come." That was definitely a very kind offer. If he was willing to help, then she was definitely going to accept it. She just needed something to break out of the cycle of boredom that she'd gotten herself stuck into over the last few months.

"I'll come to Sickbay after my shift." She smiled, knowing that there was going to be something that she could sink her teeth into making herself get excited about it. She loved things like this, and she was going to keep looking at it that way.

She mentally switched to English, knowing it would be easier for her to interact with the rest of the crew that way. She was well known for sometimes forgetting to speak in English. She didn't really mind, but she knew most of the crew cared when they couldn't understand. She watched Phlox as she stood up and smiled at him. "I'll look forward to it." Phlox nodded a couple of times and smiled back at her. She turned and headed in the direction of the exit.

"Did I hear that right?" Travis asked, catching up with Hoshi as she walked out of the Mess. She was somewhat used to this way he had of chasing her whenever she had said something that he could, maybe, spread gossip about. There was generally very little gossip about her.

"What?" She snapped a little, just because she wasn't feeling like arguing with Travis about what she was planning. Sometimes he could be stubborn, and he didn't change his mind easily. 

"You're going to Sickbay after your shift?" The question seemed innocent at first. But she knew him better than that, and she was sure that there was more coming and she was prepared for whatever he came out with. "Are you alright? You're not pregnant are you?"

"What? No!" She hadn't been prepared for that. Chance would be a nice thing, but the truth was, any possible children for her were a very long way off. So she decided to just come out with it and tell him what it was that she and Phlox had been planning in their corner of the Mess. "Phlox has agreed to train me up to be a medic. I'll be more helpful on the ship than I am now." She smiled as they got in the lift, both being housed on the same deck.

"Alright, that seems like a cool idea." It was nice to know she had the backing of at least one senior officer. It meant that if the Captain wasn't as supportive as she thought he would be, she would be able to point out that at least someone else in the senior staff thought it was a good plan. "You're pretty important now though, in all honesty." She didn't feel that way. Who needed a linguist in a war.

"Less so, since the war started. It's something new. I'll enjoy it." She knew she would. New challenges were not something she had shied away from. She actually loved them, and that was why one of her favourite things was trying to find something new to challenge her. Normally it was a new language, but she had enough of that right now.

Travis looked at her for a few moments and shrugged gently. Clearly he was sure of whatever he was thinking. "I bet you will." 

"See you in the morning Travis." She stopped at her door and hit the lock there before stepping in a little. It wasn't worth really saying more than she already had. She'd just jinx herself if she did.

"You bet your ass you will." He smirked and walked off. Hoshi just shook her head and watched him go. She had to admit that even in the bad times here in the middle of the war, she had some great friends. They could pull her through, even in the worst of circumstances. She wouldn't trade them for anything. 


End file.
